Powered Up

Can you believe it’s November already? If you’re like me, you aren’t even close to being done shopping for gifts for the coming holiday season. I’m going to try to get started sooner this year though, and not wait until December 23rd before trying to get everything done in a last-minute panic. In that vein, […]

Last month I received several responses from readers. Thank you so much for taking the time to write in. Several of you had the same question, so this column will try to answer those specifically. Q: Joseph from Jo-Carroll Energy asks, “I enjoy reading your column. Could you please give some advice on purchasing a […]

From time to time, I get e-mails asking questions about Apple computers, and whether they’re better than Windows-based computers. This month I received a response from an Apple Macintosh user, who wanted to point out that I should spend some time in this column talking about “more than Windows.” In fact, he went on to […]

It’s been a little while since I’ve answered a question directly in this column—too long in fact. I just want to remind everyone that if you have technology issues, whether they are computer or electricity related, please drop me a line and I will do my best to get you an answer. You can also […]

In this computer shopping series so far, you have learned about the different kinds of processors and hard drives. Certainly, those two pieces are extremely important when purchasing a computer, but there are other parts to consider as well. Before I get started though, let’s take a moment to talk about an important word: integration. […]

Last month, I wrote about which processor to choose when buying a computer. This month’s column will focus on the next major piece of hardware you should consider when making a computer purchase – your hard drive. Before we get started, I want to be as specific as possible. When I refer to a “hard […]

Just the other day I was perusing some of the new computers on display at one of Springfield’s big technology chains, and I overheard a distressing conversation between a shopper and one of the store’s resident techies. The conversation was distressing because of the sheer lack of information being handed out by the store employee. […]

Last month I told you about the bug with Java you probably had installed on your computer. Since then, many of you have contacted me asking the same question: “I installed the latest version of Java on my computer, but now it says I have all of the older versions as well. What do I […]

In the past few months, Oracle has garnered much attention because of a security flaw in its Java plug-in for web browsers. The situation got so bad the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an alert advising you to actually disable Java on your computer. You can read the alert at www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/ TA13-010A.html. In it, […]

Cooperative broadband service offerings were featured in last month’s magazine, and since then many of you have contacted me asking a variant of the same question, “If my co-op doesn’t offer broadband services, then where can I get service?” Unfortunately, the answer isn’t very cut and dried, but I’m going to try to give you […]